hiser



No. 524,824; Patented Aug. 21," 1894.

0 INVENTOR awwz/w ATTORNEY mums PETERS co. Pnorou'rvm WASH UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SHERMAN N. HISER, OF SPRINGFIELD, OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF TWO-THIRDS TO EDGAR N. LUPFER AND CHARLES H. HISER, OF SAME PLACE.

STRETCH ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 524,824, dated August 21, 1894. Application filed February 2, 1894- Serial No. 498,894. (No model.)

In handling disabled anddeceased persons, particularly the latter, with the appliances.

now in use, a great deal of difficulty has been experienced in the lifting and placing of the bodies of such persons in position, and for the most part the lifting of corpses from abed to a cooling board, or from either to a casket, has been accomplished by human efforts without the aid of appliances whatsoever. The handling of a large body by this method is fraught with much difficulty, and frequently.

with serious accidents. To obviate these difficulties, and to provide an adjustable stretcher adapted to the handling of bodies with far 1ng inwardly projecting portions adjacent but independent of eachother, and connecting devicesat the ends by which the parts may be connected or disconnected, as desired.

My invention further consists in the vari:

. necting devices. Fig. 6 is a detail view of the same. Fig. 7 is a detail view showing the hinged connection. Fig.8 is a side elevation showing the device folded for transportation or storage.

Like parts are represented by similar letters of reference in the several views.

In constructing my improved stretcher I preferably employ side rails, a and 6, each provided with inwardly extending projections or fingers a b, which projections or fingers are preferably arranged so as to stand opposite each other when in their operative position. These side rails and fingers are each preferably made of wood, though any other material may be used if desired. The projections or fingers are tapered from the rails toward their free ends, and are adapted to overlap slightly, or to be slightly separated in the adjustment of the stretcher, as will hereinafter more fully appear.

The rails a and b are each preferably provided at the end with socket pieces a and b preferably cast in metal so as to fit over the ends of said rails; said socket pieces being preferably cast integral-with handles a b. To one of the handles a b is hinged a connecting bar a, the end of the handle being provided with a slotted opening 0' and proj ecting ears 0 for this purpose the bar being pivoted at 0 between the respective ears so as to rest inthe slotted opening 0' when in the normalposition. Each of the other handles a b is provided at the outer end with a projecting portion a, to which is pivoted at c a clamping lever 0 This projection c and the clamping lever c are provided with bearing seats 0", 0 adapted to rest on opposite sides of the connecting bar 0 and hold the same firmly in position in the handle to which the parts are connected. The end of the lever 0 is provided with a slotted opening 0 adapted to fit over a button or other suitable fastening device 0 arranged on said handle, so that when the lever is forced downwardly until the bearing 0 rests on the connecting bar a, the said lever will be in the 7 position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 5. By pressing said lever firmly toward the handle, the fastening device 0 may be turned so as to hold the lever in this position and thus firmly clamp the bar 0. By loosening these clamping levers the respective side rails may be moved to or from each other to adjust the width of the stretcher.

Near one end of each of theside railsI prostood that one of the connecting rods 0 is" hinged to one'of the side rails, a, and the other connecting bar to the side rail 19, said bars being clamped by clamping devices to the opposite side rail. vided by which the said siderails may be readily connected or disconnected, and when so disconnected the projecting portions may he slipped from opposite sides under a body while lying on a bed, table. or cooling board, after which the parts may be connected together, as described, the head rest buttoned to the movable supports and adjusted back or forth thereon so as to support the head in the proper position. When thus mounted the body may be carried the same as on an ordinary stretcher.

In placing the body in a casket, the stretcher is lowered so as to rest on the casket, after which the respective connecting bars are disconnected, and by using said bars aslevers an operator at each end of the stretcher may turn the respective side rails so as to allow the body to slip gently through the same and between the projecting portions of the re.- spective parts, said projecting portions being adapted to press back the linings of thecasket and hold them in their proper position while the body is lowered gently into the same. After the body is in position one end ofthe head rest may be disconnected and the head lowered to the proper position.

If desired, the rails a and b may each be formed of a single piece, or they may be hinged together, as shown, so as to fold up as indicated in Fig. 8. When so hinged, the hinges f are placed on the bottoms of said side rails v stretcher.

with the ends of the respective parts abutting, as shown in Fig. 7, so as to properly sustain any weight which may be placed on the A small connecting device f is referably provided on the opposite side of said'rail from the hinge to prevent the parts of the rail from turning on their hinged connection in any operative position which the rails may assume. Any suitable device may be used for this purpose. I have shown a small spring catch f, secured at one end to one part of the rail and provided on the other with a projecting portion f*, to fit inasocket in the other portion of therail.

It is quite obvious that the construction of a device of this character may be variously Means are thus pro modified so as to accomplish the same result without departing from the spirit of my invention. I do not therefore limit myself to the constructions shown, but

I claim, broadly, as my invention 1. A stretcher consisting essentially of two parts, each having inwardly extending projections arranged adjacent to but independent of each other, and connecting devices at or near the ends of said parts, substantially as specified.

2. A stretcher formed of two parts, each having inwardly extending projections adjacent-to but independent of each other, handles at the ends of the respective parts, a hinged barattached to each of said parts and adapted to form a connection between the same, said bar being capable of use as a lever devices, and an adjustable detachable head. rest, substantially as specified.

5. A stretcherconsisting essentially of side rails, and inwardly extending projections on said side rails, said projections being beveled o;r tapered, as described, and connecting devices on the ends of said side rails for connecting said side rails together,substantially as specified.

6. In a stretcher, side rails each having a socket piece formed integral with the handle at each end thereof, one handle of each side rail being provided with ahinged bar and the other handle of each of said side rails having a clamping device, as. described, adapted to clamp said bar so as to be adjustably secured thereon, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

7. In a stretcher, side rails having inwardly extending projections adjacent to but independent of each other, and connecting bars hinged at opposite ends to the respective side rails, and clamping devices on each of said side rails by which said bars may be adj ustably connected thereto,.a detachable movable head rest connectedto said siderails, and a handle on each of said connecting bars, substantially as specified.

8. In astretcher, side rails having inwardly extending projections, as described, each of said side rails having a socket piece with a handle formed integral therewith, a hinged bar on one of said handles of each of said side rails, and a clamping-device on the other handle of each of said side rails, said clamping devices being provided with oppositely ar- IIO IIS

ranged bearing seats to support said bar, and

a fastening device for securing said seats in contact with said bar, substantially as specified.

9. The combination with the side rails, of a hinged connecting bar connected to one of said side rails and a pivoted lever connected to the opposite side rail, a projection on said side rail opposite to said hinged lever, and bearing faces on said projection and lever, respectively, adapted to clamp said bar, and a holding device for securing said lever in position to clamp said bar, substantially as specified.

10. The combination in a stretcher, of side 

